My Color, Our Style:  Part 1
by Emi Hikari
Summary: In the events following the story of Final Fantasy VII, Mae Whitman finds herself wrapped up in the aftermath and fighting the forces of evil.  Of course, she's not alone-she has the Turks on her side.       \Language Warning\
1. I: Idiots are invincible

I: Idiots are invincible

There's nothing better than the sound of my shoes hitting the tile floors of my workplace. I like that sound more than most things and more than I probably should. But fuck it-I'm allowed to think of myself as important as much as I want, and no one can stop me.

I wasn't always important, I didn't always think of myself this way. But thanks to many years of my schooling being surrounded by idiots, and then entering the workforce to find it ultimately the same, I _know_ I am.

But I'm not a total asshole; I'm only one to those who need it the most. Being a necessary asshole changes lives, you know. I am living proof of such a fact.

Since the years I was in elementary school, I was the stereotypical tomboy, with my mushroom haircut and scrapes on my knees from running around like the little heathen I am. I blame three older brothers, but that's beside the point. In elementary school, I learned how to be an asshole for the first time.

There was this kid, you see. The poor thing was not very intelligent, and what he lacked in brains he made up for in annoyingness level. For some reason, I became the victim of the annoyingness, and I had no choice but to find a way to defend myself. But even if I shot the most vicious remarks his way, he just laughed it off. Idiots are apparently invincible. And in the human race, there are far too many idiots.

Things did not get any better as we got older and recess was removed from our social lives. Instead, he started showing up in not only my lunch hour, but some of my classes as well. I couldn't get rid of him. And you know how it goes in junior high: people naturally become more annoying anyway, so his level was off of the scale completely. More than once I found myself in the principal's office, practically tearing out my hair as a result of his obnoxiousness.

Finally, high school came around, and for the first semester, all was quiet. I had enough room in my brain to breathe and focus on myself for once, instead of hiding from the little red-haired cretin that wouldn't leave me alone. And then, second semester, he was in all but two of my eight classes. Six periods a day with the cretin, the king of annoying. And in high school, it was even worse, because he had a car, and he actually found friends just like him.

It was like he was breeding his own annoyingness through spores or something.

With some pulling of strings and a hell of a lot of hard work, I graduated a semester early and enrolled in college immediately. I graduated a semester early from college, but not because I was in any hurry to get away. In college, I finally lost the freak.

Or so I thought.

About the time I entered the job market at full force, the events involving Cloud Strife, ShinRa, and Sephiroth took place. I figured it was going to be a huge pain in the ass to find a job with the panic, but I had forgotten about my connection: Elena, one of my close friends from school, worked for ShinRa. She made her magic work, and soon I landed myself a job in ShinRa.

Of course, these things that come so easily also come with a catch or two. The first catch was seemingly obvious: as a new member of the "team," I was assigned the most dangerous and dirty tasks they could give me, to test me to see if I was really worth the trouble. The idea didn't bother me at all until I walked to the helicopter garage to fly out with my partners for the day and I saw the guy standing there with a headset on.

He had a smart-ass look on his face, naturally just there without him really trying. Red hair, the same color as mine, was spiked around his face, and when he turned his back to me for a moment I saw a long ponytail trailing down from the back of his head. He was wearing a Turk's uniform like me, but without a tie, and his shirt was neither buttoned nor tucked-in. Still, he looked like the experienced one in the group, and that was what terrified me.

"FUCK!" I shouted when I saw him. He just looked at me blankly.

It was indeed the same cretin from my school years.

"Are you the other new person?" he asked, sounding bored and a bit confused. I recognized his voice right away. The other guy there looked new to me, and he was definitely confused.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, trying to sound cool and intelligent. I ignored him.

"Is this some sort of sick joke?" I hissed, glaring at the red-head, who slowly smirked.

"What, you afraid of heights?" he teased. "You're May, right?"

I wanted to scream-he had pronounced my name wrong, to top it all off. Had this not been a wonderfully high-paying job, I would have walked right then and there. But I had gotten this far; I thought I could get away from him if I could just pull through this.

"_MAE_. Like "my," but don't say it like some uncultured hick like I know you're about to, Reno."

Reno raised an eyebrow, confusion written all over his arrogant face. "You know me? Well, I guess I'm not TOO surprised. I mean, I'm one of the top dogs here at ShinRa." He chuckled under his breath, and I sighed heavily.

"Let's just get this mission over with," I insisted, walking toward the helicopter. I was hoping that ShinRa was as big as it seemed, and that this mission would be the only time I'd ever have to see his sorry face again. If that had been the case, I don't really know what would've happened.

Reno and the other noob followed my lead, and soon the three of us were in the helicopter, waiting to get clearance to take off. We would be meeting Elena and another guy named Tseng at a mountain to retrieve some special something or other blah blah blah. At the time, I wasn't paying attention to the details. I was just trying to figure out how I would survive a half-hour long flight with Reno as the driver.

_Fuck my life_, I thought, glancing at the other new person. He didn't look like he was cut out for this mission shit at all. And then there was Reno sitting up in the front, whistling to himself as the helicopter lifted off. He was all chill. Well, of course he was. _He_ had the controls in his hands. _He_ knew what was going on. We didn't, and so I sat in thick tension, arms crossed.

Thankfully, Elena would be there waiting after only a half hour, and hopefully she would be riding back with us. I didn't know who Tseng was, but I didn't really care-there was no way he could be as bad as Reno.

But first we had to get there, and that meant trusting Reno to fly us out there, completely focused and professional.

To my horror, Reno instead looked over his shoulder at me, smirking.

"So how have you heard of me?" he asked as I twitched, terrified of us crashing. I didn't want to die in the hands of an idiot.

"We went to school together," I answered through clenched teeth. "_All twelve years_."

"Really?" he said, and I facepalmed without thinking. "You do seem kinda familiar, if I think about it, but whatever. School was school."

He shrugged, and I wanted to wring his neck. "School was school"? Maybe for him, but HE wasn't the one being tortured by someone else's idiocy!

"I mean, I didn't keep any of the friends I had or anything, so it's not like it _mattered_."

"…You really have no memory of being in school with me, do you…"

"…Not really, no."

I didn't know if he was just a wonderful bull-shitter, or legitimately telling the truth, but the thing that surprised me was that there was a glimmer of maturity to his words, and I wondered where the hell he'd picked THAT up from.

I felt a smite of pity for the other guy with us, who had no idea what was going on and sat there rather blank-faced, completely disinterested.

Reno didn't say anything after that, and I was tired of hearing his voice anyway, so I sighed heavily and slammed back in my seat. The rest of the flight was spent in silence; all we could hear was the drone of the helicopter blades above us.

Finally, after traveling through some thick fog, and after silently panicking that Reno would crash and bring us all to our untimely and only slightly deserved deaths, I heard a familiar voice crackle through the internal radio system.

"Tseng! Look at this!" Elena's voice gasped. They had found whatever the hell they were looking for, apparently.

"Paydirt," Tseng confirmed.

"Not a pretty sight, is it?"

"Who cares, just get the damn thing," Reno said, impatiently tapping his finger against a lever. The view cleared to reveal a large mountain range.

"Reno! The chopper!"

"You got it."

Sitting upright, Reno grabbed the control stick and flew us down into the mountains.

"I hope you two are ready for this," he said. I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not, which bugged me. Ready for what? They didn't tell us a damn thing before leaving, other than how to shoot a gun, which I've known for a while, thanks.

Maybe that was the point. Maybe we were supposed to be tested over how well we could handle being unprepared. I mean, anyone can be trained for a circumstance, but how many people can react well in chaos when unprepared? I think that was the real test we were supposed to undergo.

As we flew deeper into the mountain range, the grey sky and clouds changed to darkness, slowly engulfing our helicopter. I touched the gun on my lap, just to make sure it was still there. None of us knew what was coming.

Suddenly, the scenery around us blacked out completely. There were lights in the distance; I assumed them to be Elena and Tseng. The only source of light for us, however, was the glowing dashboard of the helicopter.

"Go," Reno commanded us as the helicopter landed roughly. "I'll cover you from behind, just go to the others!"

"Are they the lights?" the other recruit asked stupidly as I jumped out of the copter. Reno didn't answer him, and I realized that this really WAS a test to weed out the dumb ones.

A single gunshot rang through the area, and I saw one of the lights waver, then sink down to the ground.

"Elena!" Tseng's deep voice rang through the darkness. I lifted my pistol to the air, trying to pinpoint exactly where the shots came from as I ran toward the other light, which was approaching us quickly. The other recruit trotted behind me, and eventually Reno caught up with us. I was still leading the group into the darkness toward the light, which was bouncing along.

Another few gunshots were fired from the other end, and the other light, just feet away, came crashing down. A box came skidding over to my feet.

"Pick it up!" Reno commanded me, so I scooped it up quickly with one hand, keeping my gun ready with the other hand.

"Go!" Tseng gasped, and the new recruit took off back toward the helicopter. Reno and I lingered a moment, as if debating on whether or not to help him. Was he really as close as he seemed? Where was the danger that threatened us anyway?

And then, a flurry of gunshots scattered at our feet. Backing away quickly, both Reno and I fired back into the direction of the shots. They kept shooting back. It was total chaos, and I prayed I didn't accidentally shoot Tseng or especially Elena.

The strangers were getting closer, and it became obvious to me that they wanted whatever I was holding badly enough to follow us as far as they needed. We picked up speed, nearing the helicopter.

Reno jumped in first; I saw that the other new guy was already sitting in the back. They were still shooting at us.

"Hold this!" I shouted at the new guy, tossing him the strange-looking box.

Literally seconds after I had passed it off, I heard a gunshot and felt something hit my left shoulder, then an incredible pain. They had hit me. They were getting closer.

"FUCK!" I screamed, throwing myself into the passenger seat and placing my right hand on my shoulder.  
>From the glow of the dashboard I could see I was bleeding pretty heavily, and it hurt to move my left arm, with the exception of my hand. "GO!" I shouted at Reno.<p>

The chopper lifted off shakily; I could still hear bullets whizzing by us.

"What is this thing?" the new guy asked, holding the box in his lap and looking down at it with a curious look on his face.

Before Reno could answer him, before I could even blink, a bullet shattered through our windshield, and another followed, nailing the new guy right in the cranium. He fell backward violently, the curious look replaced with one of surprise.

"Shit," Reno muttered under his breath, trying to concentrate on piloting.

I sat there, trying to relax while my shoulder gushed blood all over me and my seat. Those were not ordinary bullets. I don't know what they were, but they weren't the same shit WE had been shooting.

And as for the box, Reno never answered the guy's question. What was the point? he told me later. The guy hadn't survived to find out the answer.

But I had. I survived the wound, though the scar is still there to this day.

That box we risked our lives for was just the beginning of our problems in the new generation of ShinRa. And because of the events of the past, it was ShinRa's duty and destiny to take care of it.

I was the only new person to survive the tests involving that box.

As I turn down the hall, making my way down to my shared office, I hear the unmistakable chatter, the voices of my two best friends, coming from the break room.

"Fuck that, he thinks Cloud will just up and go with us?" one says.

"Apparently so," the other replies gruffly.

"Yo, what're you fools up to?" I say, poking my head into the room.

"Fuck off, Mae, we're not the fools here this time," Reno says, a pout crossing his face.

"Hey now, so I make one mistake in my _whole life_ calling you a fool at this very instance. You could at least explain your reason for PMS to me."

"He's just mad that the boss is making him go to Healin for Cloud's sake," Rude says.

I roll my eyes, used to the tantrums by now.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Reno is one of my best friends now. After that mission, something about him changed. Maybe that was the maturity pill he needed for me to be able to stand him. But regardless, we had to work together in the end, and in the end, we became friends.

Rude is simply another Turk who works for ShinRa. He's a lot quieter than both Reno and me, but he knows how to speak when he does talk. Hey, every group needs the level-headed quiet one to balance things out.

This is the way things are now. The only thing to complain about now is the trouble that box brought us.


	2. II: Tact, and how to not use it properly

II: Tact, and how to not use it properly

Most of my days start out at ShinRa headquarters in the break room with Reno and Rude. Rude smokes a cigarette while Reno catnaps and I drink coffee, hoping for the most laid-back day yet every single day. While it might seem like we don't do much around here, it's quite the opposite. You might have guessed it from that mission I mentioned earlier, most of our jobs involve risking our lives and shooting the bad guys up. According to Rufus, the big guy at the head, ShinRa owes the planet more than we can actually pay back, so we have to double our workload, which means less time to sit on our asses and play poker and enjoy the beer Reno has sitting in the back of his fridge.

Like I was saying, most days start out in the break room trying to get a moment's peace without having guns shoved into our hands. But this one day in particular was different-the three of us, plus Rufus, made our merry way out to a place called Healin.

Healin is this smudge of a place that can't decide if it's going to spell its name with an "i" or an "e," and the Healin/Healen Lodge is the main attraction. It's actually a rather nice, spacious place, meant for people with Geostigma.

Oh, that's another thing entirely. Geostigma, I mean.

Geostigma is said to be the planet's punishment, but what it really is is the result of contacted with the contamination of the Jenova cells. Rufus had it pretty badly, but he didn't seem to mind as much as most of the people in that lodge. He'd been preoccupied over the mission when we lost Elena and Rude for almost the past two years, anyway.

Back at Healin, the four of us were chilling out in the main room, Rufus in his wheelchair, Reno sprawled out on the couch, Rude standing by Rufus, and me leaning against the window.

"You really think she's gonna answer if he's not there?" Reno asked Rufus, not bothering to pull the mouthpiece of his cell phone away from his mouth. Rufus didn't answer, probably because he didn't know.

"Just leave a message," Rude said patiently. How he remains that calm with Reno in charge of something I still don't understand.

"She's not-oh, wait! Hey! She picked up!" Reno sat up quickly. "He-ey, is this Tifa? Nice introduction, by the way." Grinning with his success, Reno nodded at us, pointing to the phone. Rude and I glanced at each other, then rolled our eyes. "Oh, come on, you mean you don't recognize me? It's me, Reno. …You remember me, right?"

A pause, and then Reno's grin doubled in mischief.

"She remembers me," he said to us before placing the phone back to his mouth. "So listen, Tifa, I have a message for you to pass on. We here at ShinRa have some work for Cloud, if he's interested."

As he listened to Tifa, his grin faltered a bit.

"Whaddya mean he's not there?" Not bothering to listen to her response, Reno turned to Rufus. "She says he's not there. What do I do?"

"Tell her anyway," he said quietly.

"Was that really a necessary question?" Rude asked, turning to me. I just smirked.

"Well, listen anyway, Tifa. Pass this on to Cloud as soon as you can. We have some urgent work for him, it'd be worth everyone's while if he helped out. 'Kay thanks, bye."

"It's a wonder we get anything done around here with that kind of effort," I said, sighing heavily. Reno just gave me a look as he hung up the phone.

"And what have YOU done since we got here, missy? That's right, nothing."

"And I'm BORED. When do we get to shoot stuff? Isn't that what you hired me for?"

I heard a faint sigh come from under the sheet covering Rufus, and Reno and I both grinned. Mission: success. It just wouldn't be a completed day if we didn't make Rufus frustrated at least once.

"Mae."

The way Rufus said my name-it made me think I was in deep shit. But when he spoke again, he had a bit more curious tone to his voice, and I immediately chilled out.

"Go to where Tifa is now. Make sure she passes the message on."

What the actual fuck. Rufus was indirectly telling me to threaten Tifa if she didn't agree to our plans.

Well, ok. Better than sitting around doing nothing.

I left without a word, just a nod and a smirk. Jogging down the stairs, I spied my motorbike, and within sixty seconds I was on the road to Tifa's place.

^^vv^^vv^^

As he zoomed along on his bike through the back roads toward Healin, Cloud frowned. Even as he listened to Barrett's enthusiastic voicemail about finding a new oil field, something still troubled him about having to make this visit.

"Cloud," Tifa's voice said from his phone. "Reno called again. He sounded kind of funny this time. Be careful, okay?"

The voicemail ended right as he pulled into Healin Lodge's entrance. It looked quiet, and maybe even a bit sadder than the last time Cloud had seen it.

Sighing through his nose, the blonde parked his bike and grabbed one of his smaller swords, just in case. Almost at a run, Cloud proceeded up the stairs and threw open the front door. Reacting just in time, his sword met Reno's weapon with a loud clang. Tifa was apparently right.

Reno backed up a bit, and both men lowered their weapons. Then suddenly, letting out a battle cry, Reno lunged at Cloud. The blonde, completely unfazed, simply stepped aside, sending Reno running through the open front door. Stumbling to a stop, Reno turned around and started to run back in, but Cloud quickly shut the door in his face and locked it.

"Okay, so you're good," Reno said from the other side of the door. Before Cloud could respond, the door to his right burst open, and Rude walked through, pulling on gloves, as if to prepare an attack on Cloud. The blonde reacted quickly and swung his sword so that the tip of the blade met Rude's face.

"Yeah, Rude, lookin' sharp!" Reno shouted from the other side of the door. A small smirk crossed Rude's face, then quickly vanished as a figure in a wheelchair rolled into the room.

"Good," he said. "You fight like the SOLDIER you once claimed to be. You haven't lost your touch."

Cloud paused a moment, then murmured, "Rufus Shinra?" The brief silence that followed was the confirmation that Cloud needed. "Do I feel sorry for you."

"The day of the explosion-" Rufus began.

"What do you want from me?" Cloud interrupted quickly.

"I managed to get out-"

"Who were the guys that attacked me?"

"Before it collapsed-"

"I'm leaving."

Rufus waited a moment, as if to see if Cloud really would walk out so soon. He didn't, so the President continued.

"We need your assistance, Cloud," he said calmly.

"Not interested," Cloud replied, turning toward the door.

"I acknowledge that ShinRa…owes the planet a lot. It goes without saying that my company and I are the ones that put the world in the sorry state it's in. Therefore, it's our responsibility to set things right."

"I'm still out here!" Reno shouted through the door suddenly, but Rufus ignored him, as did Cloud.

"As a first step, we have commenced an investigation in Sephiroth's wake."

"Yep! In the Northern Cave!" Reno called out from the other side of the door.

"What do you think we found?" Rufus asked Cloud. The blonde didn't reply, but he was now fully attentive. "Nothing. Nothing at all. You can relax. However, not all went as planned. We were interrupted by the same three who attacked you-Kadaj and his gang."

"Kadaj…" Cloud mumbled, thinking back to the silver-haired man he had seen hours earlier.

"It seems he doesn't want us finishing what we started. Really, what could they be thinking?"

"What does that have to do with me?"

"You're our buddy, aren't ya?" Reno shouted. Cloud kicked the door hard, and he heard a thud outside. Suppressing a smirk, Cloud looked back at Rufus, wanting the real answer.

"Kadaj and his group are young and violent-as dangerous as they come. That's why we decided that it might be in our best interest to hire a little muscle."

"Too bad. I'm only a delivery boy now," Cloud said.

"You're all we have," Rufus countered quickly. "Cloud, look, you're an ex-SOLDIER, aren't you?" Cloud let out a soft chuckle, turning toward the door once more.

"In my head," he replied, opening the door. But before he walked away, he stopped and added, "What's this stuff about…Mother?"

"Why? Did Kadaj say something to you? No surprise. There are plenty of kids who miss their mothers; that's the world we live in." Rufus paused a moment before continuing, obviously choosing his words carefully. "I hear there are orphans living with you. Think about it: don't you want to put smiles back on their faces? All we want in the end is to rebuild our world, Cloud."

Hesitating, Cloud turned around locked on the floor. "But I…"

"Come on, Cloud, think about it," Reno said, hands shoved in his pockets. "Together we could rebuild ShinRa!"

A brief look of shock washed over Cloud's face for a moment, and he quickly turned to the door again, heading out with heavy footsteps.

"Not interested," he said without turning back.

"Reno!" Rufus and Rude said, sighing. The red head turned back to his friends, grinning sheepishly.

^^vv^^vv^^

The place Tifa and Cloud lived looked like every other uniform building in Edge, to be honest with you. But I dunno what I was expecting. While they were certainly considered heroes, they weren't celebrities, and even if they were, the world was in too bad of shape to afford a place that was extravagant, or even luxurious. But the place was big, I'm assuming mostly for the sake of fitting business in with the four of them.

"You keep staring at me," I said to Tifa, who averted her dark eyes quickly, embarrassed.

"Sorry," she said. "You just look-"

"I know, I look like Reno." Sighing, I leaned against the kitchen counter. "Cloud is already on his way over to Healin, then? Guess it was a waste of my time coming over here."

"What would you have done if he wasn't?" Tifa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My job."

We stared each other down for a moment. If Marlene hadn't showed up, who knows what might've happened.

"Tifa, where is Cloud?"

"He's visiting someone," Tifa replied, breaking her gaze with me to smile at Marlene.

"I wanna see him!" the little girl whined. "Denzel said he felt better, so he went outside, but I wanna see Cloud instead!"

"Marlene, I don't know when Cloud will be back," Tifa said, her voice growing more stern. "But…tell you what, we'll go somewhere else special, okay? Does that sound good?"

Marlene looked up at Tifa for a moment, and I watched as her pout slowly faded. The kid knew she wasn't going to get her way this time. Tifa had told me that Marlene's main caretaker was actually a guy named Barrett, but he was out with work too. And this Denzel kid, he had Geostigma pretty badly. Tifa didn't seem to expect him to pull through, but things were changing in Edge. For good or for worse, we didn't know yet.

"Okay, Tifa, I'll go get ready!" Marlene finally answered, smiling.

As she ran off, Tifa stood upright, sighing.

"Are you ever gonna be upfront with her about all of this?" I asked.

"How can I be? She's too young to really understand," Tifa replied, sighing again as she finished the dishes.

"Age has nothing to do with anything. If her brain is functioning and working as well as most kids her age, she'll be able to figure it all out in no time."

"…_I_ don't even like to talk about it," she admitted, frowning. "Cloud gives up too easily."

"Hm." If what she said was true, what was the real use in getting his help? ShinRa wasn't exactly on Cloud's good side, so what made Rufus so sure he would help us? It sounded pretty damn stupid to me, but oh well. I was at least doing my job, so he couldn't complain about anything but his own dumb decisions.

"What will you do now?" Tifa asked me. I smirked.

"Whatever I have to to get paid."


	3. III: Recycled enemies

III: Recycled enemies are just fancy plot devices

Reno sighed as he collapsed onto the couch again. Rufus said nothing, just wheeled out of the room. Rude leaned against the window, as Mae had done earlier. Their female companion had still not returned yet. None of them seemed unnerved, however. It was a decent drive from Healin to Edge, and the men figured Mae wasn't in any particular hurry.

"Now we just gotta find Elena and the director!" Reno exclaimed, sounding satisfied despite having blown the encounter with Cloud. He placed his hands behind his head, relaxed. "The other employees give you any leads?"

"No," Rude replied. "Nothing yet."

Reno sighed, fidgeting. "Who'd've thunk? A lot of ShinRa's people actually returned to work!" He sat upright, looking at Rude, who had his back to him. "Now that's dedication. I'm telling you, this could be a fresh start!"

"Well, those left alive have a lot to atone for," Rude pointed out. Reno flopped back, his face falling.

"Two years already." He let out a chuckle. "Seems like a lot longer than that. What a nightmare, huh? The world was nearly obliterated, and we were the obliterators." Heaving a sigh, Reno sat upright once again. "Seriously, though. How are we ever supposed to atone for that? Too bad the director's not around, y'know?"

"Elena too," Rude added, turning around. Reno resisted a smirk. Rude had always had a soft spot for Elena.

"Hope they're alive," Reno said quietly as Rude walked over, sitting down next to him.

"They are," Rude told him. "Tseng's just like the president. They're kind of like cats. Nine lives, you know?"

"You got that right!" Reno exclaimed, flopping back once again

Suddenly a loud hissing sound interrupted the conversation. The men's gazes shot over to the door, which had black smoke seeping quickly through the cracks.

"Found you…" an eerie voice breathed through the door. Immediately the two stood up, grabbing their weapons instinctively.

In simply a moment, the door flew open, and before Reno or Rude could attack, the room was filled with that same black smoke. It became hard to see, let alone breathe, so the two stood back to back, as to avoid being completely taken advantage of.

But even such a tactic proved useless; Rude felt himself be pulled away from Reno, who was desperately trying to clear the air by slashing his nightstick through the smoke. The next thing he knew, he was being thrown across the room. With no sense of his surroundings, Rude fell to the ground, stumbling to try to regain balance. He wasn't quick enough; the mysterious enemy mashed the hilt of his sword against Rude's back. This time Rude stayed on the ground.

Reno knew he was in deep shit now, but he had to at least try to fend for himself. It's not that he wasn't a strong fighter-it was that the enemy had a distinct advantage. But the smoke was beginning to clear at last, and Reno got his first glimpse of the man. He had the face of a boy, a teenager perhaps, and the body to match such a face, but his eyes were the unnerving part. Reno had seen the like of them before many, many times, and that is perhaps what unnerved him the most.

Being faster than his companion, Reno rushed in for a strike at the silver-haired man, but his speed was not enough. The villain met Reno's nightstick with a sword of his own.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he said with a grating, familiar voice. Memories of two years prior flooded Reno's mind, and he let out a small gasp. This was one of the men he and Mae had encountered in the cave. This was one of the men who had potentially killed Tseng and Elena.

"You-!"

Reno was unable to finish his sentence due to the young man's hand grabbing his throat. Gasping for breath, the red-head grabbed the man's hand with his own two, trying to pull free.

"You want to breathe that badly? I will let you, then."

With such force that could have never been anticipated, the man threw Reno across the room. His body slammed against the wall, but somehow he still stayed standing.

His strength all but depleted, Reno charged again, no strategy in his mind. As expected, the silver-haired man dodged him, and instead whirled Reno around via ponytail. Forcing his foot into Reno's stomach, the young man sent Reno slamming into the carpet, just as Rufus' wheelchair rolled in. The red-head tried to get up, tried to jump to Rufus' defense, but he could barely breathe, let alone fight back.

_You're…Kadaj_…

"Boy, do I hate lying," Kadaj said, whirling around to face Rufus.

"I apologize," Rufus replied calmly. "This time you get the truth. The object you seek fell from the helicopter while we were running from you. I'm afraid we were careless."

"Is that right?" Kadaj hissed impatiently, staring Rufus down. The president didn't flinch; having a blanket over his face probably helped his case somewhat.

"I swear it," he answered, his voice confident.

"Fine. Then swear on these."

Pulling out two small pieces of plastic, Kadaj smirked as he tossed the bloody ID cards of Tseng and Elena onto the coffee table in front of Rufus. Rufus felt his skin crawl.

"…Why did you do this?" he growled.

"We need mother's power. The Reunion is coming-and we need her." Kadaj faced Rufus, his eyes glowing eerily.

"Reunion…"

"My brothers and sisters who share Mother's cells will all assemble, and together we will all take revenge on the planet. We've already sent out the invitations-but, you know, someone has gone and hidden the guest of honor."

"Invitations?" Rufus repeated, already a hunch forming in his mind.

"The stigma," Kadaj said forcefully. "But you know all about that, sir." It seemed to Rufus as though Kadaj might have even giggled a bit at his own comment. "Mother's memetic legacy lives on in the Lifestream and makes it happen. She does so much for us and we…we don't even know where to find her. But what can we do? We're just remnants, really remnants of Mother's legacy."

Kadaj sighed heavily before continuing.

"Until we find Mother and receive her cells, we can't be whole again! Geostigma and the Legacy aren't enough…not for a true reunion."

"What do you mean?" Rufus asked.

"But, sir! Surely you've noticed."

Slowly, without taking his eyes off of Rufus' shrouded face, Kadaj walked over to the president, a cool smirk on his face that perfectly matched the gleam in his eyes. Silently, Kadaj kneeled in front of him, bowing his head. Rufus waited, his throat closed in dread. He had an idea of what might be coming.

Sure enough, a strange aura began to surround Kadaj, and as the young man looked up at Rufus once more, the cruel look in his turquoise eyes only intensified. To Rufus' disgust, signs of an old enemy flickered where Kadaj's face should have been.

Reno, still injured and on the ground, weakly turned his head and watched the scene from afar. That kind of dark aura belonged only to one person, and that one person was-

"Yo, I'm back!"

The front door flung open, startling everyone except Rufus, who was still in a bit of a daze from what he had just witnessed. Mae stood in the doorway, looking puzzled.

"Wow, you guys really can't do anything without my help, can you?" she said, frowning as she peeled her goggles off of her face. "Who the hell are you?"

"You mean you don't remember me?" Kadaj said, standing upright.

"Mae…" Rufus said quietly, in a warning tone.

"Nope. Am I supposed to? You'd think I would, with that hair of yours."

With a grunt of irritation, Kadaj lunged at Mae, who quickly pulled out her nightstick in response, blocking the hit from his double-bladed katana.

"Kids these days," Mae muttered, knocking Kadaj back. "Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? What do you want? And who are you, anyway?"

"Your memory doesn't serve you well. Let's see if you'll tell the same story as him." Kadaj stared Mae down, neither of their gazes wavering. "Where is Mother?"

"Mother? You refer to this like we're related. Are you my cousin or something?" Mae snapped, growing more and more irritated by the minute. "Well look here, long lost cousin, those are my friends you just hurt, and-"

Swiftly, Kadaj smacked Mae across the face.

"You little punk!" she cried, shocked.

"Shall I jog your memory?" he responded, grabbing Mae's left shoulder roughly and squeezing it hard. She winced, but not just because of the permanent sensitivity to pain that resided in that part of her body. This was one of the men from the trial she faced two years ago.

"…It worked," she grunted, keeping her gaze locked on his.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that."

Throwing her backward, Kadaj whirled around to face Rufus again.

"You're a fool for thinking I'd fall for all of this nonsense," he snarled. "And so you and I are going to keep each other company, until you're ready to tell the truth about what you did to Mother!"

"And if I happen to refuse such a kind offer?" Rufus muttered. In response, Kadaj grabbed Mae and pulled her over, his blade at her neck.

"You'll lose another one, and another, and another." He pointed to Reno and Rude in turn, both of whom were now completely unconcious.

"Well then...where to, Kadaj?"


	4. IV: Human behavior

IV: Human behavior

I'm brave, but I'm not a fool. There's a big difference.

Countering some silver-haired grease pot is nothing, and it doesn't even really required bravery. But common sense should tell everyone that if you are in a situation in which a sharp edge is aimed at any vital part of your body, your best bet for survival is to do what the person with said sharp edge wants.

So, despite Kadaj being my height and body type, and several years younger, I didn't dare move when he held the knife to my throat like that. Besides, karma is the biggest bitch there is. She's like the biggest pro bitch ever, and she's my best friend.

"_You're_ not going anywhere, _yet_," Kadaj said to Rufus, throwing me aside. "But these two I could do without."

I watched in bitter silence as he nudged Rude with the side of his foot, as if disgusted. And to be honest, I was surprised at the boy's strength as he lifted both Rude and Reno up by the collars and dragged them over to the doorway. Rufus didn't seem worried, but I was a little bit, admittedly. Kadaj was powerful, and he was obviously dangerous, a threat to our safety.

Ironically, he didn't seem to think _I_ was a threat to _him_.

I could've acted then, is what I'm trying to say. I could've, but I don't think it would've done any good. Taking on someone, anyone, like Kadaj meant stealth and cunning had to be involved. Just running to him and slitting his throat wasn't going to happen.

This meant I had to watch him throw the unconcious Reno and Rude off the balcony and onto the hard dirt without speaking up in protest.

"You two are going to stay here while I take care of some things," Kadaj then said, turning back to us, his stringy hair covering his eyes. "If you move out of this room…well, I think you're both intelligent enough to know what will happen."

With a small bow, Kadaj left the room, leaving Rufus and I to our own devices.

"Should I go get them?" I said, jabbing my thumb in the direction of Reno and Rude.

"They will be fine. Besides, we still need Cloud," Rufus replied, calm as ever.

"Tch. I'm not so sure I even understand this." I then noticed the ID cards on the table, stained with something red…blood. "Dammit. Elena and Tseng…"

"I have a hard time believing he could have killed them so easily," Rufus suddenly admitted. "It is more likely that he would've kept them for information, for leads as to Mother's location."

"But who is this 'Mother'? I know it's related to that first mission I went on. But I never really found out what it was." I stopped a moment, thinking back to that time. "It was in a box, right? …It wasn't a person's remains, was it?"

"Not quite. I'm sure you are fully aware of the events that led ShinRa to its demise." I nodded, planting my butt on the window sill. "Kadaj is merely a remnant of Sephiroth, and what he wants is to be completed. In order to do so, he must have the cells of Jenova."

"…Mother?"

"Exactly."

"So you're saying we stole that box, which is Jenova's cells, which is what Kadaj is after, which is…where?"

Rufus didn't say anything, and I couldn't see his face, but I just knew that under that blanket he was grinning from ear to ear.

"You do know where it is, then."

"Perhaps I do, Mae. Perhaps I do."

"I gotta hand it to you, Rufus, your appearance is very deceiving compared to your inner workings."

"I will take that as a compliment and thank you for it." I waited another moment, and he added, "And no, you're not getting a raise for that."

^^vv^^vv^^

"Fucking hell, I feel like I got run over," Reno muttered, sitting upright slowly. He rubbed the back of his neck, which was covered in cold sweat. Sighing, he glanced to his right to see Rude sitting there next to him as well. He looked surprisingly well-composed, if the crack in his sunglasses were to be disregarded.

"Where are we?" the red-head asked his companion.

"Edge," Rude replied.

"Tch. Figures. That punk threw us out, I bet."

Reno winced as he pushed himself to his feet, staggering a bit. He leaned against the wall of a nearby building for support.

"Y'know, Rude, this's the guy who attacked us a couple years back. He's probably the one who shot Mae."

"He's powerful."

"Yeah, unfortunately for us." Reno sighed again, staring out from the alleyway into the bustling streets of Edge. "But we can't just leave the president and Mae there with him. Who knows what he'll do to them."

"Then let's go."

Silently, Rude stood and began to walk out of the alleyway.

"H-Hey, Rude, buddy! Wait up!"

Reno gritted his teeth as he pushed himself enough to run to catch up with his partner. It felt like he still couldn't get enough air in him, like he was permanently short of breath. Making the mental note to give Kadaj the proper payback later, Reno clapped a hand on Rude's shoulder.

"You plannin' on walking back to Healin? Our bikes are still there."

Rude stopped, as if contemplating this.

"C'mon, we can find a bus or something, or hitch a ride. Or even Cloud could-"

"Reno, look."

Rude nodded off in the distance, where a large, dark vehicle was idling. There were several children surrounding the truck, and it appeared all of them were boarding it, and none were getting off.

"Maybe they're gonna be carnies," Reno joked, but his laugh caught in his throat when he saw a man in all black by the truck. His long silver hair swayed a bit in the breeze. Although he couldn't see the details of his face in the distance, Reno knew he was one of the silver-haired men.

"This can't be good," Rude muttered.

"I'll say. Lookie there, ain't that one of Cloud's kids?"

Sure enough, Denzel, one of the orphans Cloud and Tifa were taking care of, boarded the truck as well.

"We had better find Cloud and let him know," Reno decided, patting Rude's shoulder once again. "Who knows-maybe then he'll finally think about getting up off his ass and giving us poor folks a hand. Am I right or am I right?"

"You're probably wrong," Rude said with a chuckle.

"But we won't know until we try! Let's get goin'."

"Hold on." Rude grabbed Reno's arm, keeping him in place. "We don't even know where to begin."

"No, we don't. That's true." Reno looked back over at the silver-haired man. "But I bet he does."

"Reno…"

The red-head just snickered as he began creeping over to the van. Rude sighed, left with no choice but to follow him (which was usually how their escapades proceeded). Silently, the two made their way over to Yazoo, the first of Kadaj's two sidekicks. As soon as they were close enough, Reno jumped him from behind, pulling him down by his unmistakable silver hair.

"Tell us where to find Cloud," he said, holding a switchblade by his throat. Rude stood by, holding both his and Reno's nightsticks.

"Fools," Yazoo hissed, his eyes searing with anger. "You'll find him on the outskirts of old Midgar. But do you really expect him to help you? You are children of ShinRa, and therefore you are destined to die."

Without another word, Yazoo suddenly disappeared from Reno's grip in a wisp of black smoke.

"…That's good enough for now," Reno declared, standing upright. "At least we have a lead."

Wincing, Cloud opened his sky-blue eyes and was surprised to see the surroundings of his home around him. Lifting his head off of the pillow, he sensed a presence next to him and knew it must be Tifa. The stigma had gotten to him again, and there was still no sign of it getting better. What was he supposed to do at this point? He felt powerless against the enemy. Even though they were trying to take away the things he valued most, he couldn't find the strength to fight back like he felt he should.

"You know, you're pretty heavy."

Cloud whirled around to see Reno and Rude standing in the doorway.

"Weren't there…some kids living with you?" Rude asked.

"'Cause they ain't here," Reno added.

Cloud lowered his head, remaining silent.

"You don't care?" Rude spat out.

"I just…"

Cloud didn't bother finishing his sentence. It really didn't have anything to do with those kids, anyway. For him, this was a personal battle that he had no chance of winning anyway.

Reno, his impatience obvious, sighed heavily.

"You're a real handful," he complained, walking out of the bedroom. Rude followed, slamming the door behind him.

Cloud continued his troubled silence, staring at Tifa as the light of the coming twilight hit her side. Truthfully, he did care about Marlene and Denzel. And Tifa, too. He cared about all of them. But he felt beyond powerless as to help them. The Geostigma had weakened him considerably, both physically and spiritually. The past also had a hand in such weakness.

He couldn't save the woman he loved most when she needed him. He wasn't able to save her, even though he cared so much about her. And if he couldn't save her, Aerith, the person he loved most, how was he ever going to help Tifa? Or the kids?

Facing the window, Cloud watched the sun fall behind the horizon, and soon night covered Edge, including Seventh Heaven, and the same bedroom where he stood.

Before long, Cloud heard Tifa shift on the bed.

"Reno and Rude are out looking," he told her, still facing the window.

"You have Geostigma, don't you?" she asked him slowly, sitting upright on the bed. When Cloud didn't answer, she continued, "You're going to give up and die, is that it?" More silence. "So it is."

"There's no cure," Cloud finally responded.

"Yeah, but, that's not stopping Denzel, is it? Don't run! Let's fight it together!" Tifa insisted, an edge of desperation in her voice. "We can help each other, I know we can."

But Cloud's heavy silence was enough of a response for her.

"I guess…that only works for real families, huh?"

"Tifa…" Cloud murmured, coming to sit down near her. He hung his head; her piercing gaze was not helping him at all. "I'm not fit to help anyone-not my family, not my friends. Nobody."

Tifa sighed, pursing her lips.

"Dilly dally, shilly shally," she said. Cloud looked over at her, confused. "Dilly dally, shilly shally!"

"I think she wants you to move on, man."

Cloud and Tifa whirled around to see Reno and Rude standing in the entryway. Neither asked how the pair had entered, despite how quietly it was done.

"Did you find them?" Tifa asked.

"We know this much: Kadaj's gang took the kids," Reno replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Where are they?" Cloud said.

"They're at their base now-the Forgotten City," Rude answered.

"Go." Cloud stood, facing Reno and Rude. The pair glanced at each other, then looked at Cloud, confused as to what he wanted them to do. "I have to talk to Rufus."

"Stop running!" Tifa suddenly shouted from the bed, startling everyone. "I know, even if you find the kids you might not be able to help them. Maybe something will happen that can never unhappen-that scares you, doesn't it? But you need to think about now, really take it in!" Tifa slapped the bed angrily. "Look at you, you think you got it so damn hard!"

Reno and Rude exchanged glances once again, both feeling a bit out of place but neither knowing what they should actually do.

"Well, you hate being alone so let people in!" Tifa continued. "Sure, you don't answer the phone, but I don't see you throwing it away, either!"

There was a heavy silence, so finally Reno took advantage of it.

"_You_ go; the base is all yours," he said, turning to leave. Rude followed him, leaving the door open this time.

"Which is it, a memory or us?" Tifa murmured, eyes locked on the bed.

Reno and Rude grimaced at the silence that followed, then headed outside.


	5. V:  We brawl because we're old school

V: We brawl because we're old school

I wonder if Kadaj was at all surprised to find that neither Rufus nor I had made any escape attempts by the time he returned.

"The Reunion is growing closer, Brother!" he exclaimed, looking at Rufus. He then glanced at me, turning his nose up like some of the spoiled brats I went to school with. "It's a pity that you weren't invited, though I guess Mother has her reasons for everything."

"I'll pass," I snapped, folding my arms across my chest. "I'd rather live a few extra years or die doing something fun than suffer through that miserable curse."

"Suit yourself. More fun for us."

Judging by the gleam in his eyes, it seemed as though Kadaj'd had some kind of fun already.

"Well, come along you two. Some city air will do us all good."

Kadaj strolled over to Rufus as if to take his chair, but I cut him off.

"You direct, I'll steer," I growled, stepping behind Rufus' wheelchair.

Kadaj stared me down, and for a moment I wondered if I had sentenced myself to death. The icy glare told me he was definitely not happy, but I think he knew that if he REALLY wanted us to go with him, he'd have to listen to me just this once. God forbid he put some pride on the line.

But his response wasn't what I was expecting.

"You fool, you really think we'll just walk all that way?"

He grinned, and the next thing I knew, the room was dark. Everything around me was dark. And it felt like the darkness was closing in on my body, like some dumbfuck put me in a bun toaster or something.

Just before I thought my body was going to completely explode from the pressure, the darkness disappeared as suddenly as it came, and I was standing in an abandoned building overlooking one of the streets I always drove on. We were in Edge again, and Rufus and Kadaj were both there. Kadaj was unfazed, and though Rufus said nothing, the tenseness of his shoulders gave away that he too was a bit disturbed by what had happened.

"Well, here we are!" Kadaj announced, which was totally unneeded, considering Rufus and I knew the city better than that stupid remnant ever hoped to. "Isn't it a wonderful view?"

"Stunning," Rufus said. At first I thought he meant it and was actually willingly playing along, but then I noticed the direction of his gaze. In the most central part of Edge, there was a crappy-looking monument to the former city of Midgar, which upon its ruins Edge was built. Surrounding the monument were children. And they were holding hands and singing for world peace or any shit like that. They were standing around the monument facing out at the city, heads lowered to the ground. I noticed two more men in black garb and figured they must be Kadaj's lackeys. Or "Brothers," as he probably would've called them.

"Up here, we have a perfect view of the show!" Kadaj laughed, grinning like a little kid. A crazy, demented, murderous little kid.

"The show?" Rufus asked. I kept my mouth shut.

"Why should I spoil it for you, sir?" Kadaj replied. "Have patience! It'll start soon, I'm sure."

Slowly, a crowd of civilians began to surround the ring of children, and their cries of anger began to echo up even to us.

_This can't be good_, I thought, frowning. The crowd of people was expanding by the second, and we seemed to be powerless to stop it, stuck up in that building. But there was one advantage to being in the city-I knew how to get out.

^^vv^^vv^^

"Well, lookie there, Rude," Reno said, rhythmically tapping his nightstick against his thigh. "We have our own welcome committee, it seems, don't it?"

"Lucky us." Rude squinted into the distance as he and Reno walked forward into the chaos that was now brewing in downtown Edge. Cries came from the crowds that had surrounded the Midgar monument. Reno began to waltz right in, but Rude grabbed his arm and held him back, shaking his head. The opportune moment had yet to present itself.

Suddenly the crowd went quiet as one of the silver-haired men raised his hand to silence a citizen, and as if in response to the silence, strange creatures popped up out of the ground, born completely of darkness.

"Well, shit, this complicates things a bit," Reno said with a sigh, scratching the back of his neck. "But I figure we've been through worse, eh, buddy?"

"No worries," Rude agreed with a smirk.

Reno had a smirk to match as the two silver-haired men turned their backs to the crowd to bring down the monument. The opportune moment was now welcoming them with open arms.

However, as the two approached the silver-haired men, the villains heard their footsteps and stopped what they were doing. Turning to the duo, Yazoo narrowed his eyes, albeit a smile on his face.

"We know Mother is here," he said calmly.

"Oh yeah?" Rude scoffed.

"Yeah," Loz replied, smiling dumbly. "This, uh, thing-monument thing-ShinRa made it."

"Oh no! You're just too clever!" Reno exclaimed, his voice leaded with sarcasm.

"Except you're wrong," Rude added, smirking.

"And wherever she is we just don't know!" Reno said, grinning. Yazoo smiled back, unfazed as he took a few steps closer to the two.

"What, the peons aren't trusted?"

Both completely taken aback, Reno and Rude stood there in shock, jaws hanging open stupidly. Reno stumbled over incomprehensible words for a few moments, looking back and forth between Rude (who looked away, ashamed he had no clever response) and Yazoo. Finally, his anger getting the best of him again, Reno let out an angry cry and charged, his nightstick held high above his head. Rude followed him in, the anger in his eyes, concealed only by his sunglasses.

^^vv^^vv^^

"Say, Kadaj, I've got a question for you," Rufus said. I sighed, bored out of my mind. Maybe this was going to be his attempt to let me find a way to escape?

"And I've got an answer," Kadaj replied confidently, a calm smile on his face. A face that I wanted to kick so hard that it turned inside-out. I may have been paid for all of this, but it didn't make me enjoy being trapped any more than usual.

"You said you needed 'Jenova Cells' in order to be whole again. What did you mean by that?"

"Him. He's coming back."

Kadaj didn't need to elaborate. Nearly everyone who survived the time of the fall of Midgar and ShinRa knew to associate the pronoun "him" by itself as only one person.

"Sephiroth…the nightmare," Rufus murmured.

"So they say."

"You mean..."

"I've never known Sephiroth," Kadaj finally admitted. "I just sense him there. It's unbearable to think Mother might want Sephiroth over me!"

Honestly, it was getting a bit too creepy for my tastes. This kid was supposed to be just another spawn of Jenova? Just what we needed.

"Poor little remnant," Rufus said quietly. I could tell he was being sarcastic, as could Kadaj.

"It doesn't matter who she picks, you'll all meet the same end!" he shot back, sounding desperate. "Mother came to this Planet after a long journey to rid the cosmos from fools like you! But, you know as well as I do that nothing's changed since she got here. I have to change it to make her happy!"

Rufus let out a small laugh from under his blanket.

"The nightmare returns."

"As long as you exist, the nightmares will come again and again," Kadaj declared indignantly.

"The Lifestream courses through our Planet back and forth across the borders of life and death. If that cycle is the very truth of life, then history, too, will inevitably repeat itself," Rufus countered. As he spoke, I looked around the room. Other than there being no wall whatsoever in front of us, there was no way out. Either I'd have to suicide jump down, or do something else equally drastic.

"So go on-bring your Jenovas and your Sephiroths. It won't matter. We'll do as life dictates and stop you every single time."

"Please, sir, is that your excuse for going after Mother yourself?" Kadaj scoffed. I perked up. So. That _was_ Jenova we nabbed. That _was_ Kadaj's gang we encountered. And that was probably him that shot me and killed that other recruit that was with us in the beginning. "You don't seem all that sorry."

"Sorry? Why, I've never had this much fun," Rufus replied.

"Good." Suddenly Kadaj's arm began to glow with a strange light. Materia, it seemed to me. "Then let's put an end to all of this."

Raising his arm to the sky, Kadaj shot a beam of light into the clouds, and they parted, but there was no sign of good things raining down. However, the whole area lit up, and I noticed an interesting spot in the opposite corner of the room. There was a strange break in the framework, and as I stared at it, I realized that it was some kind of exit.

Hot damn.

^^vv^^vv^^

Letting out a battle cry, Reno slammed his nightstick into one of the shadow beasts, knocking it away into the crowd. He wasn't intentionally trying to hurt other people, for once, but better them than himself. The only other person he was really concerned with at that moment was Rude, who could handle himself despite his quiet nature.

Out of the corner of his eye, Reno saw both Yazoo and Loz standing with their backs to him. Thinking it would be a good opportunity to get the jump on them, he charged toward them, nightstick held high above his head. But just as he reached them, a giant, terrifying monster floated down to him-Bahamut-Sin. Letting out a tiny gasp, Reno brought his weapon down, quickly turning to get a better look at the creature. Ironically, his weapon collided with Rude's face.

"H-Hello!" Reno stammered, eyes wide.

"Hell no," Rude stated.

Whirling himself around and almost thumping Rude once again, Reno pushed off into a full sprint away from the beast, Rude right behind him, and Yazoo and Loz now on the chase as well.

Reno's feet stopped him as he jetted past one of the many kids Kadaj's gang had mind-warped, and he paused a moment, then grabbed the child. Resisting, the child quickly stuck his fingers up Reno's nose. With a sharp cry, Reno ripped the kid's hand away, then picked him up and started running again. Rude ended up beside him, a child in each arm.

"Is it after us?" Reno gasped to his partner, panting.

"_I'm_ not lookin'," Rude answered.

Suddenly, Bahamut-Sin let out a giant shockwave, sending Reno, Rude, and the kids flying across the pavement. Unharmed, the children stood and walked away, leaving the duo a bit more than dazed. Still, the sound of approaching footsteps forced them to get up.

"Are we having fun yet?" Yazoo asked them, Loz at his side.

"The time of my life!" Reno shouted, charging. Rude lunged out as well, engaging in a fist-fight with Loz.

"When are you going to call it a day?" Reno shouted at the swift Yazoo, who now stood atop a small building.

"Just as soon as you give back Mother," Yazoo replied. "That'll be the end of everything.'

Reno gritted his teeth, unamused at the pun, and with great agility managed to scale the building Yazoo was on and continued his barrage of attacks.

Meanwhile, Rude and Loz exchanged blows, rather evenly matched.

"Punks!" Rude exclaimed, head-butting Loz. "What do you need Jenova's head for?"

Rude flipped Loz over, but with a menacing smile, Loz reversed the attack and sent the Turk flying past Reno and Yazoo, who were still locked in combat.

"Forget about your little Reunion and get a grip!" the red-head shouted.

"All we want is to be with Mother!" Yazoo cried, kicking Reno so hard that it sent him soaring off of the building and into a billboard.

_Damn materia…_ Reno thought, his head throbbing.

"Mother will know," Loz was telling Rude as he pushed himself up again. "When she gets here, she'll decide what's best. Now, where's Mother?"

Before Rude could speak, the billboard came crashing down onto him, stunning him.

"Son…of…a…"

Reno was the next to fall, and the two met the pavement once more. Aching all over, Reno still managed to get to his feet, crunching Rude's sunglasses in the process.

"Mother, shmuther," he growled. "It's Jenova's friggin' head!"

"Hey!" Loz cried.

"I will not have you refer to Mother that way!" Yazoo snapped.

"You meanie!" Loz added, his voice sounding whiny.

Reno said nothing, just dusted himself off while Rude pulled an extra pair of sunglasses out of his front pocket.

"Our apologies," he said calmly, straightening his jacket as Reno flicked a pebble from his shoulder.

"Your ma's cool," the red-head added, then stopped, glancing back at Rude. "…What the hell am I saying?"

Springing into action, the pair rushed to attack the remnants once again, and the battle continued on.


	6. VI: An escapade to be remembered

VI: An escapade to be remembered

Honestly, I would have waited to make my escape had I been the only one to notice the fucked up framework. Even though that was my only way out, I couldn't have just left Rufus behind to fend for himself. After all, he got me a job, didn't he?

No, no, that's not the only reason. Truly, the guy was and is a great leader and I would have felt a bit more than guilty had I just left him to die.

Luckily for me and my conscience, when Kadaj emitted the light from his arm like he did, Rufus lifted his head to look at me, and I saw him gently tilt his head toward the exit a couple of times, then lower his head again. While someone unskilled in the language of Rufus Shinra might assume that to be an attempt to stretch out a kink in his neck, I knew he had noticed the lucky break just as I had. All I needed was for Kadaj to be distracted enough with his own devices, and I could finally get away.

I needed to find Reno and Rude, first and foremost. Those nimrods probably weren't doing too well without me there to back them up. I love them both to death, but they can both be pretty damn thick sometimes. And I knew that if I found them, we could really get some work done.

Lady Luck was on my side this particular day, because Kadaj was so entranced with the monster he had sent down that even my shuffling toward the exit didn't distract him. As much as I wanted to leave with a big bang, I decided to leave the little cretin to his devices. He'd get his soon enough, even if I didn't get the honor of doing it.

After I had managed to squeeze through the little hole, I found myself on a staircase that wound down the building, like some kind of emergency fire escape route or something. There were lots of connecting pathways along the way, presumably leading to all the other floors of the building. Such a concept made me a bit nervous-it meant there could be enemies hiding, waiting for a lucky fool like me to come their way.

"I am no one's catch," I declared to the panic-filled air, carefully making my way down the stairs. It was pretty damn hard not to make noise, considering the old metal plus my leather boots were a symphonic match made in heaven. But I made it down to the fourth floor before I noticed anything fishy.

Just as I was about to proceed down the ladder to the third floor level, I heard footsteps-cautious ones, sounding a bit like mine. Prepared for the worst, I tightened my fists, ready to release the energy if need be. I had no weapons on me-Kadaj had seen to that-so it was my own strength that was going to protect me.

But when I heard footsteps coming the other way as well, from the other side of the building, I backed against the wall, growing unsure. It seemed my luck had finally run out.

"…!"

A young woman jumped out from one side of the wall, her blonde hair dirty, falling in her eyes. I smiled crookedly, letting out all of the useless energy. She smiled too, albeit more thankful than me.

"Mae, it's you!" Elena gasped, putting down her gun. She chuckled, wrinkling her nose. "Dunno what I woulda done if it was someone else, honestly."

"Same," I admitted, peeling myself off of the metal, confidence renewed. "Glad to know you're okay. Wasn't so sure, after being down there myself."

"Mae?"

Finally revealing himself, the person from the other side stepped out, his jet black hair looking unkempt, something new and amusing for me.

"Why hello there, Mr. Director," I said, grinning at Tseng, who looked pretty relieved himself.

"I would recognize that voice anywhere. Where is the President?" he asked me. I pointed up.

"With Kadaj." I lowered my voice, something I reserve only for special occasions. "He has the Jenova cells on him right now. Can I trust you guys to protect him?"

"C'mon, isn't that what we get paid for?" Elena laughed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Fair enough," I said, smirking. "Then I'm outta here. Reno and Rude are out in the city. I'mma try and find them, see if we can't do some damage in our favor."

"Sounds good!"

"Good luck," Tseng added, nodding once.  
>"Trust me, Lady Luck has already been blessing me enough today, but I can't rely on her forever."<p>

"Well, maybe you don't need luck," Elena said suddenly. "C'mon, I've got an idea."

^^vv^^vv^^

Kadaj grinned as he took down his arm from the sky. He'd seen enough-the monster he'd summoned had done more than enough damage to get his point across.

"This is too fun, sir!" he exclaimed, walking away from the edge. "Any requests for the next act?"

But as he faced Rufus, what he saw took him by surprise. The man had ripped off his blanket, revealing his pale blonde hair and a bandaged eye, no doubt a result of the stigma. While anyone else might've been most taken aback by his appearance, Kadaj was more concerned with what was in his left hand.

The silver-haired teen let out a little gasp, his eyes wide as he gazed down at the box containing the Jenova cells, the ones he needed to become complete.

"Mother!" he breathed, his voice cracking. Rufus only smirked.

"A good son would have known," he replied. Effortlessly, he tossed the box over the side of the building without a second thought. Kadaj watched helplessly for a moment, then turned to Rufus in a rage. Letting out a cry of hatred, Kadaj sent an energy blast right at the president, but in turn, he dodged it, sending his body flying off the side of the building.

Pulling two guns out of his pockets, Rufus began to shoot back at Kadaj as the energy exploded somewhere behind him, engulfing that half of the floor in flames.

"Mother!" Kadaj shouted, jumping after the box.

The three plummeted down: Jenova's head leading the way, with Kadaj and Rufus right behind. Though without steady aim, Rufus continued to fire at Kadaj and the box diligently, hoping to hit one or the other, preferably the former. Instead, one of his bullets grazed the box, breaking the seal just enough to send a bit of the green liquid spitting out.

Below the action, Rufus and Reno stood back to back, still fighting off Yazoo and Loz. The sound of metal against metal caught their attention, and they looked up to see their president flying toward the concrete.

"Sir, no!" they shouted.

The next events happened in a blur: Kadaj's hand grabbed the box of cells while he landed safely on the ground, and two nets from either side of the building caught Rufus. A smile crossed Reno's face when he saw the nets were fired by none other than Tseng and Elena.

"Yo!"

The smile grew a bit wider as he looked up to see Mae a few feet above them, on the first stairwell balcony of the building.

"Don't just stand there!" she shouted, waving them over. "We've got shit to do!"

Without a second thought, Reno ran forward and launched himself at the side of the building, grabbing on to the metal beams and pulling himself up. It took a good five minutes to scale that part of the building, but somehow he made it. Mae was there waiting for him, hands on her hips, and Rude was somehow there too.

"Eh? Rude, how'd you beat me up here?" Reno asked, catching his breath. He hadn't noticed Rude pass him up.

In response, Rude and Mae both motioned to their right, where a small metal stepladder was hanging.

"…Well, I'm here anyway," Rude said quickly. "What's the next step?"

"Besides growing you a brain?" Mae replied, smirking. "Regardless, we need a way to get back to headquarters. We can take a 'copter from there and head them off."

The three watched as Kadaj, then Cloud, then Yazoo and Loz zoomed by on motorcycles.

"I saw we follow suit and nab us one of _those_," Reno said.

"Looks like that whole growing-a-brain thing is working," Mae laughed, crossing her arms. "Sounds like a fair plan. Whaddya say, Rude?"

"Works for me," he agreed, nodding.

"All righty, then let's go!"

One by one, the three jumped down to the pavement, beginning the search for a decent-sized motorbike. But considering the mass amount of mayhem going down in the main city area, the challenge wasn't much of one at all.

"Seems we've got a lot to choose from," Rude stated as they entered an abandoned parking lot.

"Find one with good horsepower," Mae instructed as the three split up.

"This'll do, doncha think?" Reno said after a few minutes, rolling out a large bike with double seats. "Watch this!"

After pressing a button, Reno grinned as both sides of the bike opened to reveal an arsenal of guns.

"Damn straight that'll do!" Mae shouted, running over. "Let's take it and go!"

"I'm driving," Rude said, taking the front seat.

"Fine by me," Reno replied, sitting behind him. Mae slid in behind them, only halfway on the seat. Hanging on to Reno's waist, she nodded.

"We're ready, Rude."


	7. VII: Flight procedures

VII: Flight procedures

I keep forgetting to mention a detail about my friendship with Reno that I think is probably pretty important and maybe rather predictable: we are both very competitive, particularly with one another. After the mission we went on together (and after I recovered from my wonderful battle wound), ShinRa finally officially hired me, and I had to undergo a bit more training, though I wouldn't even call it that compared to the near-death experience they had first presented me with.

Anyway, most new employees have to go through the tests more than once to obtain their various licenses-y'know, to pilot the helicopters, to use certain equipment, to make explosives, etc. I was their first employee who only went through each test once. Reno, on the other hand, hadn't even TRIED to pass some of those tests, just skipped them and got temporary licenses, which can be renewed every year and let you do a more basic version of the job at hand.

Yes, that's right: he was breaking a law when he piloted that helicopter.

Thankfully, everyone has a license to drive a motorbike, so I felt pretty safe on the back of that monster set of wheels with Rude driving. …Especially because it was Rude driving. I knew we would make it back to headquarters in one piece, despite the chaos going down on the streets of Edge.

The offices were pretty much empty when we arrived, save for a few straggler employees who would rather work overtime than deal with the nonsense going on in the city. They didn't bother to greet us when we flew in; most of the time they knew we're in a hurry, and we don't have time to deal with paperwork or customer service. Unless you count kicking ass as customer service. I would. But that's just me.

"Take the one with the biggest guns!" Reno shouted as I ran ahead. Rude had run to get some "extra goods," and there was no way in hell I was letting Reno pilot if I was readily available to do so.

"We're not trying to blow up Edge, we're just trying to blow up some slick-headed bastards!" I shouted back, climbing into one of the most reliable copters. As Reno climbed in to the passenger seat, I tossed him a headset, putting one on my own head as well.

"Oh why oh why must my life be full of such fuckery," I chanted, starting the engine as Rude came jogging into sight. He was carrying a brown bag filled with something unidentifiable. I wasn't going to ask, I didn't want to know. As long as it helped our cause, there was no room for complaint.

"I always get the back…" I heard him grumble as he climbed in through the backdoor.

"Don't worry buddy, next time I pilot, we'll stick HER in the back," Reno said, chuckling.

"Ha ha, yeah, say that now, but you'll be thanking me later," I snapped, pouting as I opened the roof above us. "Unless, of course, you GIVE me a reason to kill you."

"It's never worked before, though."

"Very true."

About two minutes later, we were completely airborne and zooming over Edge, making our way toward the highway system. Ironically, with the three of us together, things weren't as chaotic anymore. I suppose it's a bit tougher managing things on one's own.

"Down there, down there!" Reno finally shouted, pointing to three little black wisps shooting across the pavement. Taking the copter down closer, I could see Cloud leading the way, with Yazoo and Loz on his tail. It appeared that they were shooting at him, and my guess was that he was probably shooting back.

"You losers are chasing the wrong guy!" Reno said with a smirk, firing at the two remnants.

"Hey! Be careful when you touch stuff!" I snapped, trying to concentrate on flying close enough to the highway to get us in range of attacking them.

Frowning, I watched as Loz turned his bike around and latched on to Yazoo's, firing back at us.

"You forget about the bridge, big guy?" I said as the two disappeared under a bridge. When they appeared again, I'd moved the copter to the side, taking them by surprise. Reno took the chance to fire again; I didn't complain, just tried to concentrate on getting as close as possible.

As Cloud zoomed past us, I turned the copter to face the remnants, and Rude opened the door to look out at them.

"Nice choice, Rude," Reno laughed. I glanced in the rearview to see a large bazooka planted on Rude's shoulder, and a grin spread on my face. Another reason why we'd always be friends.

"You might want to pull back," Rude said shortly after firing, so I took his advice and pulled way out, just in time to watch that entire section of the highway explode and become engulfed in flames.

None of us said anything, but I could tell by the giant smirk on Reno's face that our job was most likely done.

"Shit."

Next thing I knew, someone's motorbike came crashing through our helicopter. Yes, THROUGH IT. Somehow one of those silver-haired punks had launched himself up to our level and was now soaring through our 'copter at full speed (though the event felt as though it went in slow-motion). I could hear Yazoo's laugh in the background. They had somehow survived, and now Rude was in trouble.

"Shit!" I echoed as Yazoo shot one of the main control sticks between me and Reno.

"Rude!" Reno shouted, looking out the window. He leaned over and grabbed the broken lever in a panic, and in result completely wrenched it off of the command board. Burning with rage, I turned to Reno, unable to react in any other way.

"…I'm going to fucking kill you," I said, our equally frightened eyes locking despite the rumbling of our death vehicle.

"If we don't die in this damn thing first!" Reno shot back, running to the backseat area. I could hear him muttering to himself, then call out Rude's name. The copter was beyond control, so I followed him back to see what was going on.

"Hey, Rude, you're all right!" he said. Rude was hanging on one of the stationary wings, looking dazed.

"Yeah, I'm just peachy."

Before any of us could say another word, the copter slammed into a nearby building, sending the three of us plummeting to the concrete. Luckily, it wasn't too high of a fall, and we all looked up just in time to see the copter burst into flames farther ahead on the highway.

"That coulda been us," I said, shooting a look at Reno. He ignored me, both he and Rude distracted by the cord that had fallen between them. We all looked up to see another copter of our own soaring above us.

"Hey guys!" Elena called out, waving.

^^vv^^vv^^

Moments later, Mae, Reno, and Rude were crammed into the helicopter with Elena, Tseng, and Rufus, who was back in his wheelchair, the sheet covering him again. Even though the vehicle was a bit bigger than the one they'd recently crashed, six people inside it was more than snug.

"So what should we do next?" Elena asked the three new arrivals. Reno rubbed his sore neck, in the process elbowing a very irritated Mae. Rude said nothing, fulfilling his role of the strong silent type as expected of him.

"We can't just let 'em go," Reno finally replied. "Now it's getting personal. I _hate_ it when it gets personal."

Tseng chuckled quietly from the pilot's seat. "I think you're the only one who's making it personal."

"Still. They need to be stopped. We might as well do it since we're all here."

"And how exactly are you planning to pull that off?" Elena asked, smirking at Reno. Silently, he glanced at Mae, who was still brooding over their recent defeat. She lifted her light blue eyes for a split second, then made a face of pure disgust and turned forward again, looking as if she had swallowed a lemon whole.

"I have something," Rude said suddenly. He tilted his head to face Elena, but other than that slight gesture, he did and said nothing to give away what he had in mind.

"Alllll right." Elena put her hands on her hips, smiling. "Well, Rude, you've never given us any reason to distrust you before, so let's go for it! Tseng!"

"I'm on it, but do you really have any right to boss _me_ around?"

"If I don't do it, who will?"

"Me, and that's what he's afraid of," Mae responded, a toothy grin spread across her face. Reno let out a small chuckle of agreement, and Mae elbowed him in reply.

"And that's why we're friends, Mae." Elena beamed, and Mae nodded in agreement.

"Pass 'em up," Rude said suddenly, nodding ahead, where the crew could see Cloud, Yazoo, and Loz just below them entering a tunnelway.

"Got it," Tseng said. The helicopter seemed to lean forward itself, as in an effort to catch up to the trio.

"So, Rufus, you doin' okay now?" Reno asked the president, who hadn't said a word the whole flight. "I mean, you kinda lost me'n Rude there. Wasn't sure how you were gonna fair with just you and Mae."

Though she knew he didn't mean it as an insult, Mae made sure to stretch her arms so that her left elbow stuck into Reno's ribs.

"We were fine," Rufus replied, speaking at last. "I felt I would be safe with Mae there, because I know she works just as hard as you..." Rufus paused, trying to hide a smile. "Actually, I'd have to say she works harder than you.

Pouting, Reno sighed and put his chin in his hand while Mae's grin only expanded.

"We're coming up on the end of the tunnel," Tseng announced, looking at Rude via rearview mirror. "What's your suggestion?"

"Go ahead and land," Rude answered. He nodded at Reno, who immediately perked up and nodded back.

^^vv^^vv^^

I always trust Rude up until he decides to include Reno in something. At that point, I still trust Rude, but I worry for the sake of his and everyone else's safety.

So when Reno followed Rude out of the helicopter, leaving the four of us to sit and watch whatever they were about to try to pull off, I couldn't help but be anxious.

"They're up to no good," Elena said, pursing her lips, only slightly amused.

"When are they not?" Tseng pointed out.

"Good point, but somehow I never get used to it," I replied, and Elena nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, the other two were standing not too far from our copter, and I watched in a mix of terror and amusement as Rude handed Reno a bomb.

"Hey, partner…" I heard Reno say, nodding down at the obviously handmade bomb. "This thing…got any bite to it?"

"ShinRa technology at its finest," Rude replied.

"Oh, so you made this."

"If nothing else, it's…flashy."

"Oh, good."

"Fuck yeah it's gonna be flashy, it's fireworks strapped to a detonator!" Elena yelled from beside me, sending us both into hysterics. I love my co-workers.

"You love it, I know," Rude said, smirking.

"Looks like today we're clocking out early," Reno added, facing forward again.

"But the real question is, did we really ever clock _in_?" I said. "If you catch my drift." As expected, everyone's heads turned to face Rufus, who had kept silent through most of the ordeal.

"Yeah, Rufus, are we getting paid for this?" Elena chimed in.

Rufus just chuckled, with no other indication of an answer.

"Hey, they're coming back," Tseng said. I looked out to see Reno and Rude slowly walking back toward us. Tseng put the helicopter into gear again, lifting about five feet off of the ground.

"Look," Elena murmured, pointing to the end of the tunnel. We could see headlights coming closer, the moment of truth approaching.

Cloud zoomed out from the tunnel, right past Reno and Rude, right below our helicopter. He seemed to glanced back over his shoulder at us, and a smirk crossed his face, one that somewhat matched those of Reno and Rude.

Moments later, Reno and Rude were back in the copter, and we were lifting off just as Yazoo and Loz passed through on one bike.

"Mission accomplished," Reno said with a grin as the bombs exploded, smothering the area in smoke and brightly-colored fireworks.


	8. VIII: Taking shots

VIII: Taking shots

Narrowing his ice-blue eyes, Cloud watched Kadaj carefully as he slowly descended from Sephiroth's remains. His feet touched the ground, but he seemed unsteady, swaying as if drunk. The silver-haired man lifted his blade as if to strike, and Cloud readied himself, but the youth's legs finally failed him, and he collapsed. Cloud caught him, holding the now-frail man in his strong, sure arms.

"Bro…ther…" Kadaj gasped. Cloud stared down at him, unable to come up with a response. "…Huh?"

Slowly, gently, it began to rain. Kadaj's gaze was fixed on the sky, even as rain splashed onto his face.

"…Mother, is that…?"

Confused, Cloud watched as Kadaj lifted his hand toward the pale pink sky, tears mixing with the raindrops on his cheeks. Bit by bit, Kadaj's body turned into particles and glowed a calm green. Finally, he could return to the Lifestream and cause the world no further harm. His existence was nothing but a miserable one, one that was unneeded and caused nothing but hurt and pain to the people around him. Now he could go back to the nothingness where he belonged.

Meanwhile, within the city limits of Edge, the rain had reached a downpour, the sky turning a calm purple hue. It was obviously not normal rain, though, for as the diseased came out into it, their stigma was healed, just by the water's touch. Overjoyed by the astounding miracle, some of the children stood out in the downpour. However, Denzel and Marlene watched from inside, faces pressed against the window in anticipation.

Even the Turks, who were standing outside in the rain themselves after having returned safely to solid ground at headquarters, watched in wonder as Rufus' Geostigma vanished as he became drenched by rain. The skin on his hand became pure again, the disease seeming to dissipate into the air, like it, too, was returning to the Lifestream.

No one really seemed to understand the cause of the miracle rain, except for a select few. Most of those people were aboard Cid's airship, celebrating Cloud's victory over Sephiroth, paying no attention whatsoever to the weather outside. As she watched her friends blather in excitement, Tifa was lucky enough to notice a droplet of water come down from a corner of the ship. A smile creased her lips as she looked up at where the water had gathered.

"Somehow…I knew you were there," she murmured, full of mixed emotions. "Thank you."

Still smiling, Tifa turned her gaze back to Cloud, whose face was tilted up toward the sky. He knew, too, whose doing this was. In this heaven-sent rain…

The sound of a gunshot shattered the calm. Cloud felt the bullet rip through his chest from behind, and he dropped down to one knee, breathless from shock.

Standing a few feet behind him were Yazoo and Loz, their powers also being absorbed by the rain. Anyone who would've looked at them would have been able to see the materia in their arms as their bodies were beginning to disintegrate.

"We'll go together," Yazoo said with groan as he lowered his still-smoking gun. It fell out of his hand and clattered to the ground.

"Together…we'll play," Loz added, grimacing.

In silence, Cloud pushed himself to his feet once more, and with his sword in his hands, he spun around. He charged toward the villains, and in response they held out their arms. The moment his sword touched the materia, the three of them were engulfed in an enormous explosion.

"Cloud!" Tifa shouted from the airship, her voice choking on unshed tears.

^^vv^^vv^^

Sure, we were getting drenched in the rain. Sure, we weren't getting paid after all. Sure, we probably were all going to get miserable colds. But there was something pretty epic about standing there, watching the most miraculous healing possible first-hand. After all, it's not every day that you see a life-threatening illness evaporate into the air at random. Who knows how or why it happened, but it did, and in doing so it marked the end of our mission. What a mission it had been. And what an end.

There's something special about us when we finish a mission, especially if it ends well. We don't take a break from work, just in case something else suspicious should arise. Rufus' overactive guilty conscience won't let us. The compromise is simple: party.

Party is such an ambiguous word, but to the select group of us at ShinRa, it has only one definition. It doesn't need to be declared, not the time, the place, or what needs to be bought and brought. We do things quite methodically here at ShinRa.

Of course, before we were to celebrate that much, it only made sense that we were to stand in silence, in reverence, for a little bit longer. C'mon, how often do miracles like this happen? In Edge, Midgar, whatever you want to call it, miracles are a rarity.

^^vv^^vv^^

For some unknown reason, try as he might, Cloud couldn't open his eyes. Though he couldn't feel warmth, he could tell that through his eyelids was a bright light. The sun coming out after the rain? Perhaps.

It was quiet, no sign of life around him. Apparently, death was far more peaceful than anyone could have imagined. But, out of nowhere, Cloud felt the touch of someone's hand on his forehead. So gentle and warm, it had to be a woman.

"Mother…?" he murmured, almost unaware he even spoke at all.

"Again?" the girl responded, taking her hand away. "Why is everyone calling me their mother lately?"

"I guess they must be fond of you," a man replied, his voice sounding familiar to Cloud.

"This one is too big to adopt," the girl then said, and Cloud could tell that she must've been smiling, just by the tone of her voice.

"Tough luck, friend. Sounds like you don't have a place here."

Suddenly, Cloud felt himself plummeting down head-first into nothingness. Wherever he was going, it was getting darker. Was he really falling out of Heaven? If so, where was he going now? Hell? What a fitting end…

Cloud's body began to feel strangely chilly, as if he had just been dunked in water. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, his gaze lingering on the cloudy but calm sky. When he went to push himself up, he realized that he was, in fact, floating in water. Slowly he stood up, looking around him. A circle of children, many of them once diseased, were standing around him in the water. His friends were standing off to the side, watching him with smiles on their faces. It took a moment to register everything that had just happened, but somehow, Cloud had come back to the cathedral, which was still flooded from the incident with Kadaj.

"It's just like she said," a little girl nearby said. "'Wait here and Cloud will come back.'"

"Welcome back!" Yuffie cried. Cloud turned to them, nodding.

"I'm back," he said.

Stepping into view, Red XIII said, "There are still children with the stigma."

"Yeah."

Walking through the water, Cloud reached out toward Denzel, whose Geostigma had yet to be cured.

"Hey," Tifa murmured, leaning down toward Denzel, "let's get you fixed up."

"Come on," Cloud said, holding out his hands. "I'm here."

"It's okay," Tifa urged him.

Finally, after hesitating, Denzel nodded and walked toward Cloud, who picked him up from the ledge and put him down in the water. Scooping some water into his hands, Cloud faced Denzel, and then gently poured the water over Denzel's head. Just as the other children had experienced during the rainfall, Denzel looked down at his reflection in the water to see that his Geostigma was disappearing.

Whipping around, Denzel looked up at Tifa and let out a little laugh. Upon seeing his laughter, the other children nearby cheered, and other children who had not yet entered the water began to jump in. Soon the place was filled with the giggles of children and the equally gleeful laughter of Yuffie, Barret, and Cid.

"Last one in is a rotten egg!" Cid shouted as Yuffie waved the kids on, encouraging the chaos.

"That's some crazy water!" Barret exclaimed, grinning ear to ear.

Content, Cloud looked around at the children, who were now playing in the water, all of them healed. Some of them had run to another part of the cathedral that was still dry. Cloud's eyes followed one child over only to see a very familiar figure kneeling down next to another child. A young man stood nearby, leaning against the doorway; he was watching the young woman with a soft, endearing smile on his face. His jaw dropping a bit, Cloud watched as Aerith stood upright, then faced him.

"You see?" she said, smiling. "Everything's all right."

Without another word, Aerith turned around and walked toward a bright, heavenly light. Zack, who was the one standing nearby, waved goodbye and followed her.

Pausing, Cloud stared at where his friends had been.

_I know,_ he thought, a small smile spreading his lips. _I'm not alone-not anymore._

Turning back toward the kids and his other friends, his smile stayed, and though the water was cold, a strong warmth filled his body. Things were definitely going to be different now, better now. He had finally learned to forgive himself.


	9. IX: Keeping it all down

IX: Keeping it all down

_MEMO: CAPS SO PAY ATTENTION LOL_

_Yay, the first part is complete! I will be taking a week long break, and I will come back next Wednesday to post more of THREE! See you then. :D_

It had been a while since he walked so much, Rufus realized as he took the final flight of stairs up to Rude's apartment. He could have taken the elevator, but something about being able to walk normally again was rather liberating. There was no doubt he had learned his lesson from being so sick for so long.

_Life is too short to be a fool_, he thought as he reached the fifth floor. Elena always called it the "Fab Fifth," just to annoy Rude and question his masculinity. Not that there was any real need to question it at all.

The door to room 509 was propped open just a crack with someone's shoe; Rufus pushed the door open a bit more with his arm, then removed the makeshift doorstop and removed his own shoes. He knew he was the last to arrive.

"A little later, aren't we?" Reno's voice sounded from the other room.

"You act like you never are," Elena shot back.

Rufus walked into the room to see Elena, Reno, Rude, Mae, and Tseng sitting around the dining room table. There was an open seat in between Tseng and Rude, as expected. Reno and Mae sat next to each other, looking like siblings or twins. The latter had an unlit cigarette in her lips, staring at the cards in her hand; both were dressed in baggy white shirts and jeans. Elena was next to her only female companion, but her attention was instead focused on Rude, who was being a good host and pouring her more wine. Tseng sat across from her, also fixed on his cards, while keeping a steady eye on Reno to make sure he wasn't cheating. For once, he wasn't.

Pulling out his lighter, Reno set his cards face down on the table as Rufus took his seat, placing a couple of bottles of rum. As always, so predictable.

Without a word, Reno flicked the switch, then leaned over and put the flame to the end of Mae's cigarette. She didn't flinch, just flicked her icy blue eyes up at him in thanks. His smirk was meant to say 'you're welcome.' Their most sincere communications were never verbal.

Tseng played the first move, as usual. He had been playing card games since he could read, considering he was an oldest sibling with all brothers to play with. He knew how to work a game to his favor, or at least to make it interesting. It wasn't until they really got started that the others would have been able to tell the difference. Elena just sighed in response, a bit bored. She didn't dislike playing card games, but she was terrible at them. The only times she ever won were when the other five were too drunk to play the best moves. Such circumstances would only be a matter of time now, since Rufus had finally arrived and Rude was pouring everyone their first glass.

Reno drank his down quickly, picking his cards back up. Rufus pulled out a cigarette of his own, then handed one to Tseng. None of them were avid smokers-in fact, these nights were one of the only times they ever did. These were the nights that broke routine with another routine: drink, gamble, smoke, repeat.

^^vv^^vv^^

I drank a little less than usual that night, mostly because I was still worn out from everything that had been going on. Though, in some respects, that should have given me even _more_ of an excuse. But I didn't want to get any more plastered than the rest of them, since I wanted to win some extra cash. The holidays were coming up, which meant present buying and all of that shit, so in reality it was all gonna come back around to them anyway. These guys are my family more than my real family.

After the fifth round of cards, we all took a quick break. Rude went to clean up the food, Reno darted off somewhere, probably to pray to the porcelain gods for mercy. Though honestly, he didn't usually get sick.

Elena stayed put, pulling out her phone to text someone, probably one of her more feminine friends, if she really still had any.

"Got a secret boyfriend?" I teased her, putting my second and final cigarette into the ashtray, which Rude promptly picked up.

Elena shot me a look, making this throaty sound of disapproval.

"Yeah right," she said, snapping her phone shut. "You know I can't keep most secrets worth a damn."

"Then who is it?" Tseng asked. She smirked.

"It's a secret."

"Tch."

Disgusted with her stubbornness, Tseng pushed his glass away, and Rude took it and also Rufus'. The boss was slouched down in his chair, not totally drunk, but exhausted enough to fall asleep anyway.

"Rude, you should sit down. We've got time to play more rounds if Reno hauls his ass back over here," I said, turning around in my chair. Rude shrugged.

"I'll give him another five," he replied.

"What a great host," Elena commented with a toothy grin.

Admittedly, because Rude _is_ such a great host, that's why we always get together at his place. Plus his apartment is pretty big, with more than enough room to keep people for the night if necessary.

And trust me, once or twice, it's been necessary.

A few minutes later, Reno finally reappeared. He looked pale, not sick but as if he'd been seeing spirits.

"Did a ghostie try to get you or something?" Elena asked, opening the floor.

Reno's face hardened, proud.

"I don't believe in ghosts, it's total bull shit," he answered. "But creeps, well, I've got two of 'em sitting right in front of me."

"Me? What the hell did _I_ even do?" I shot back.

"You're alive, aren't you?"

"Yeah, and apparently you're four years old." Crossing my arms, I flopped back in my seat.

"Come on guys, let's play another round or two," Tseng urged, already shuffling again. There was no fighting it, especially after Rude himself sat down.

I decided to let his attitude go, since it was supposed to be a relaxing night with no major bickering. But I kept the comments in the back of my head. Just in case.

^^vv^^vv^^

Reno shuffled his hand of cards around impatiently, trying to hide the anxiety on his mind and failing terribly at it.

Sure, Reno was not a Rude or Tseng when it came to body type-eating or drinking too much would end in a trip to the world of porcelain. But he was no light-weight, either. He was smart enough to know his limits.

This night in particular he hadn't been feeling too well anyway-fatigued, irritable, physically sore. He attributed it all to the events of the recent past, as expected. After all, tonight was the first night he'd really gotten to relax in quite a while. He should have been celebrating the fact that Rufus was at full health again, which would make it easier on all of them.

Right before their break, Reno had felt physically sick. He didn't throw up often, so again he assumed it was related to the stress. But to be on the safe side, he took a trip to the restroom.

He was fine, kept his food down and such, but the world was spinning a lot faster than it should have been. When he'd pressed his hand to his head, not only had it hurt, but he found lukewarm sweat on his hand when he brought it down. It was fall, so there was no reason in hell to be sweating at all, especially in slightly-below room temperature.

What iced the cake was the strange skin he noticed behind his watch. It was like the metal had decayed and rubbed off onto him-his skin had a blackish-green tone to it underneath where his watch-face rested. When he touched it, it hurt, even more than his head had. Decaying metal might look sick on the skin, but it doesn't send shooting pain through your arm.

Quite frankly, Reno feared the worst. He had thoughts as to what it might mean, and he wanted to laugh at the irony of the timing, but instead of worrying he chose to temporarily push it to the back of his mind. He could take care of it later, on a weekday, when doctors were around to give half a damn.

"Your move, little boy," Elena said, tearing him from his thoughts. Whatever it meant, it would have to wait. No point in inconveniencing people for no reason.

Reno laid down his card of choice, then looked at Mae, who stared back, trying to read him but failing through the alcohol's trusty influence.

Yes, it'd have to wait another night.


End file.
